Cap feeding machine



March 31, 1964 L. CARR 3,127,053

CAP FEEDING MACHINE Filed March 50', 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 31, 1964 L. CARR 3,127,053 CAP FEEDING MACHINE Filed March 30, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 31, 1964 Filed March 30, 1961 L. CARR CAP FEEDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 31, 1964 L. CARR 3,127,053

' CAP FEEDING MACHINE Filed March 30, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent M 3,1t27,@53 QAP FEEDING MACHINE Lester Carr, Port Arthur, Tern, assignor to Texaco Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Fiied Mar. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 99,497 3 Claims. (Cl. 221-13) This invention relates to a cap feeding device. An object of this invention is to provide a device or machine for automatically feeding substantially fiat, resilient articles to a machine for an additional operation.

In is another object of the invention to provide in a machine of the above type means for supporting substantially fiat, resilient articles in stack form whereby the lowermost article may be removed successively from the stack.

These together with other objects and advantages of the present invention will best be understood by referring to the following detail specification and preferred embodiment thereof, and to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a feeding machine embodying my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the machine;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the machine;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional side view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view on line 55 of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIGURE 2, and shows in addition a stack of blanks retained in the magazine means with the vacuum cup unit engaging the lowermost blank in the stack; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged View showing in detail the stop means employed for supporting the articles in stack form.

In general, my improved feeding machine comprises a magazine means adapted to receive a stack of substantially flat, resilient articles or blanks and a stop means rigidly extending from the magazine means for retaining the blanks in stack form. Projecting members extend radially from the magazine means and from a level below the stop means, the projecting members being substantially coterminous with the stop means. There also is provided a means for removing the lowermost blank axially of the stack downward past the stop means and the projecting members, the projecting members arresting the removal of any of the blanks from the stack other than the lowermost blank. A reciprocal feeder bar operable in timed relation with the article removing means translates horizontally the individual blanks removed from the bottom of the stack retained by the stop means.

Referring to the drawings, where like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, there is shown as an embodiment of my invention a feeding machine for automatically feeding substantially flat pail cover blanks formed from a resilient material to a press designed to stamp from the blank a suitable cover for a pair or the like. (See FIGURE 1). However, the details of the press form no part of the present invention.

The embodiment illustrated comprises as its frame a horizontal base plate 2 on which the feeding machine is assembled including spaced, parallel members 4 extending vertically from opposite sides of the base plate. Horizontally mounted crosshead 6 extends between the vertical members 4 and is further supported by spaced vertical legs 8. Mounted substantially normal to the vertical members 4 are spaced parallel supporting members 10 having side guide rails 12 terminating in vertically disposed arms 14 which support the horizontal cross-strut 16. The supporting members 10 carry the magazine 3,127,053 Patented Mar. 31., 1964 ice means indicated generally by the numeral 17 and described in greater detail hereinbelow.

Motor 18, mounted on base plate 2, drives a sprocket 20 by means of the chain 22 trained about the sprocket which in turn rotates the main drive shaft 24. The motor 18 also drives a shaft 26 journaled in bearings 28 by means of a belt 3%) trained about a pulley 32 mounted at one end of the shaft 26.

Fixed on the main drive shaft 24 is cam 34 which is driven at a constant speed by reason of rotation of the drive shaft. Arm 38 is actuated by shaft 24 by means of cam extension 40 and boss 42. The upper end of arm 38 is pivotally connected to stem 48 which extends upwardly through crosshead 6 and on which is mounted a vacuum cup unit 5t) for vertically reciprocal movement. Cam extension 40 is desirably provided with a plurality of transverse slots or holes 51 adaptable to receive boss 42 thereby permitting adjustment of the position of arm 38 so that the reciprocal movement of the vacuum cup unit may be in proper timed relation with the horizontal translation of a blank removed from the stack and as explained hereafter in greater detail.

Reciprocal feeder bar 52, mounted abreast with the magazine means 17 and vacuum cup unit 50 and aligned with the passageway formed therebetween with the vacuum cup unit in the lower position, horizontally translates or advances the individual blanks removed from the bottom of the stack. The feeder bar 52 is provided with a pair of opposed parallel rails 54 adapted to slide in guide gibs 5a which are grooved to provide a sliding tongue and groove connection between the gib and rail and to permit the feeder bar to reciprocate therein. Mounted centrally of the rails 54 is plate member 58 having upwardly extending flanges 59 for engagement with the periphery of a blank removed from the stack. Plate member 58 is pivotally connected to lever 60 by means of a linking member 62 which is mounted at one end to downwardly extending lug 64 and at the other end to the top end of lever 60. Lug. 66, secured to the base plate 2, is suitably bifurcated to pivotally receive the lower end of lever 60. Rocker arm 68 is pivotally mounted at one end to member 70. Lug. 71, mounted on the base plate 2 is bifurcated to pivotally receive said member 70 which is keyed to shaft 72. The opposite end of rocker arm 68 is operatively connected to lever 60 by means of connecting pin 74. Arm 68 which oscillates lever 60 and in turn reciprocates feeder bar 52;, is driven by a cam roller 75, mounted at one end of arm 76. Arm '76 is keyed at its other end to shaft 72 rotatable in lug 71. Spring means 78 insures contact between cam roller and cam 34.

Magazine means 17, mounted to the horizontal members 1% by means of side extensions 80, includes a supporting annulus 84 open at both ends to permit a supply of blanks to be received therein and to drop therethrough, the inner diameter of the supporting annulus being somewhat larger than the diameter of the blank. A plurality of rigid stop means retains a vertical stack of blanks in the magazine means until the blanks are caused to drop one by one from the magazine means. The stop means (shown in detail in FIGURE 7) include a plurality of fingers 56 having a shank 88. A plurality of vertically disposed stanchions 92 are rigidly secured at spaced intervals to the periphery of the supporting annulus 84. Stanchions 92 are provided with a recess 94 and .channel 96 for accommodating the fingers S6 and shank 83 and the fingers are hingedly mounted on the stanchions by pins 192. An adjustable screw 104 urges the fingers inwardly toward the center of the supporting annulus 84 thereby making each finger adjustable to accommodate blanks of different diameters within .movement vertically relative to the fixed roller.

the range of the magazine means. The fingers 86 are desirably provided with a serrated face 106 terminating with a top shoulder portion 1&8, the edge of the lowermost blank engaging the serratures thereby supporting the stack of blanks but permitting the blanks to be pulled one by one from the bottom of the stack.

A plurality of projecting members extend radially from the periphery of the supporting annulus 84 from a level below the shoulder portion 198 of fingers 36 but above the level of the vacuum cup unit 55} when in its lower position. The projecting members, conveniently shown as a bolt 110 threadedly engaged by internally threaded block member 112 secured to the supporting annulus, are adjustably mounted to be substantially coterminous with the face portion of fingers 86. In the event a plurality of blanks are removed from the stack by the suction means, the projecting members will catch any extra blanks as they spring free of the lowermost blank which is in the grip of the vacuum cup. The projecting members thus guard against the transfer of more than one blank at a time to the press.

The vacuum cup unit St) is disposed to reciprocate transversely to the stack of blanks indicated generally at 113 in FIGURE 6. When in advanced position, the cup engages the lowermost blank in the stack. (See FIG- URE 6). Conventional means are provided for extracting air from the cup by means of hose 114- connecting the cup to the vacuum line 116. A valve 118 ,in the vacuum line controls the formation and release of the vacuum in the cup and in timed relation with .the reciprocal movement of the cup, the valve being actuated by a rod 12% which is operated by roller 122 bearing against cam 124 mounted on the main drive shaft 24, as conventionally illustrated in FIGURE 5.

The blanks are formed of a resilient material so that they can be temporarily deformed and pulled past the fingers 86. Thus, when the vacuum cup unit 50 contacts the lowermost blank in the stack and a vacuumhas been created in the cup, the downward reciprocating movement of the cup causes the blank to be pulledaxially of the stack downwardly past the fingers 86 and the projecting members 110. The valve control means in the vacuum line breaks the suction connection when the cup is in the retracted position to release the blank. Successive bottom blanks in the stack are discharged from the magazine means in timed relation with the reciprocal movement of the feeder bar '52 for effecting horizontal translation of the blank. A petcock 126 may be provided in the vacuum line so that the vacuum to the cup unit 56* may be broken by simply opening the petcock. In this manner, the feeding action of the machine may be interrupted at any time without actually stopping the movement of the individual elements of the machine because in the absence of a vacuum there is no removal of the bottom blank from the stack.

A-pair of-horizontally disposed rollers 128 and 136,

.having their longitudinal axis in parallel alignment, are

positioned to permit passage therebetween of a blank. Fixed roller 128 is rotated by shaft 26 thereby effecting continuedtranslation of the blank advanced to the roller by the feeder bar 52. The second roller 130 is 'adjustably mounted by any suitable conventional means such as spring abutment means (not shown) for bodily In order to insure against injury to the press in the event that a plurality of blanks should accidently be fed to ,the roller, a switch means 132 of any preferred construction is mounted upon cross-strut 16 such that upon bodilymovement of the adjustably mounted roller by excess blank thickness between the rollers, the switch will be actuated to stop the machine by breaking the driving motor circuit. A chute 134, or other suitable means such as a conveyor belt, may be employed to transfer the blanks from the feeding machine to the press. As shown in the drawings, the chute is inclined to transfer the blanks by gravity.

In operation, a stack of the blanks is placed in the magazine means and the fingers 86 are adjusted to engage and support the stack of blanks. When the motor is started, rotation of the cam extension 4! causes reciprocation of the vacuum cup unit 50 in timed relation with the reciprocal feeder bar 52 oscillated by lever 60. In its uppermost position, the vacuum cup is pressed against the flat surface of the lowermost blank in the magazine. The vacuum control valve 11-8, actuated by cam 124, causes a vacuum to be imposed through the hose 114 and on the interior of the cup which creates a suction between the cup and the blank engaged thereby. When the cup returns downwardly, this suction strips the lowermost blank downwardly past the fingers S6 and the projecting members and into the path of the feeder bar. As this stripping action is completed, the blank is simultaneously engaged by the feeder bar and the vacuum in the cup broken by the valve control means. The blank is thus released by the vacuum cup and advanced horizontally by means ofthe feeder bar. Fixed roller 128 transfers the blank to the chute 134 to be discharged into the press.

It will be observed that the machine of my invention advantageously provides a means for supporting blanks in stack form whereby the lowermost blank may be removed successively from the stack and transferred to a press or other machine. The projecting members of the magazine means provides a novel means for insuring against the removal of more than one blank at a time from the stack thereby protecting the press in operable relation therewith against damage. In the event more than one blank has dropped from the stack, the roller means provides an additional safety to stop the operation of the machine. Thus, the blanks are fed oneat a time to the press.

I claim:

1. A machine for the automatic feeding of flat, resilient articles from magazine means holding a stack of said articles in proper alignment therein including a substantially horizontal supporting annulus having stop means thereon, said stop means comprising a plurality of stanchions disposed at spaced intervals around the periphery of said supporting annulus, each of said stanchions having a rigid finger hingedly supported thereby and extending inwardly with respect to said supporting annulus for retaining said articles in said magazine means in stack form, means supported by each of said stanchions for adjusting each finger inwardly with respect to said annulus to accommodate articles of different diameters within the range of said magazine means, each finger having acontact face provided with a plurality of serratures ending at a top shoulder portion on said face, said contact face with serratures engaging the edge of the lowermost article in said stack of articles, and projecting members on said supporting annulus extending radially inwardly from the periphery thereof from a level below that of said top shoulder portion of the fingers and spaced between said stanchions, said machine having means for removing the lowermost article axially of said stack downwardly past said fingers and said projecting members, said projecting members being adjustable to be substantially coterminous circumferentially with the contacting portions of the fingers of said stanchions thereby arresting the removal of any of said articles from said stack other than the lowermost article.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1 having a reciprocal feed means operable in timed relation with the article removing means whereby successive lowermost articles are removed from said stack in timed relation with the translation of previously removed articles by said feed means.

3. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for removing the lowermost article axially comprises re- #3 ciprocal suction means, and having a reciprocal feeder bar operable in timed relation with said suction means whereby successive lowermost articles are removed from said stack in timed relation with the horizontal translation by said feeder bar of previously removed articles, a fixed roller cooperatively operable with said feeder bar to continue the horizontal translation by said feeder bar of said removed articles, a second roller in parallel alignment with said fixed roller and positioned to permit passage between the rollers of an article translated by said feeder bar, said second roller being adjustably mounted for bodily movement relative to said fixed roller, and means operable upon bodily movement of said second roller for stopping said machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McKenney Oct. 12, Wood Apr. 5, Wessman Dec. 19, Brenzinger June 1, Terry July 27, Allen Apr. 10, Demler Aug. 21, Stenger Sept. 29, Kunath Feb. 11, Everett May 23, 

1. A MACHINE FOR THE AUTOMATIC FEEDING OF FLAT, RESILIENT ARTICLES FROM MAGAZINE MEANS HOLDING A STACK OF SAID ARTICLES IN PROPER ALIGNMENT THEREIN INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING ANNULUS HAVING STOP MEANS THEREON, SAID STOP MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STANCHIONS DISPOSED AT SPACED INTERVALS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID SUPPORTING ANNULUS, EACH OF SAID STANCHIONS HAVING A RIGID FINGER HINGEDLY SUPPORTED THEREBY AND EXTENDING INWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORTING ANNULUS FOR RETAINING SAID ARTICLES IN SAID MAGAZINE MEANS IN STACK FORM, MEANS SUPPORTED BY EACH OF SAID STANCHIONS FOR ADJUSTING EACH FINGER INWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID ANNULUS TO ACCOMMODATE ARTICLES OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS WITHIN THE RANGE OF SAID MAGAZINE MEANS, EACH FINGER HAVING A CONTACT FACE PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SERRATURES ENDING AT A TOP SHOULDER PORTION ON SAID FACE, SAID CONTACT FACE WITH SERRATURES ENGAGING THE EDGE OF THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE IN SAID STACK OF ARTICLES, AND PROJECTING MEMBERS ON SAID SUPPORTING ANNULUS EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY THEREOF FROM A LEVEL BELOW THAT OF SAID TOP SHOULDER PORTION OF THE FINGERS AND SPACED BETWEEN SAID STANCHIONS, SAID MACHINE HAVING MEANS FOR REMOVING THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE AXIALLY OF SAID STACK DOWNWARDLY PAST SAID FINGERS AND SAID PROJECTING MEMBERS, SAID PROJECTING MEMBERS BEING ADJUSTABLE TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY COTERMINOUS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY WITH THE CONTACTING PORTIONS OF THE FINGERS OF SAID STANCHIONS THEREBY ARRESTING THE REMOVAL OF ANY OF SAID ARTICLES FROM SAID STACK OTHER THAN THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE. 